For how long, and how many times, had they been intimate?
I could no longer exert any force to my penis, and nothing was coming out of the tip—I was literally completely exhausted.
Indeed, I was supposed to be exhausted and savoring a brief moment of sleep, but—
"Now, please get up, Nagamasa. That's what's recommended."
—I was woken up by Yoriko, who had finished getting dressed without me noticing, shaking me awake.
I must have ejaculated too much semen, because I feel so lethargic. I was incredibly lethargic.
In addition, it's clear that their head movements have become extremely sluggish.
While I was spacing out like that, Yoriko, with a wry smile, cleansed my entire body with a cloth soaked in the hot spring water and then wiped me down with a dry cloth.
"I brought this here, please eat it."
Yoriko helped me put on a kimono, and she fed me some kind of fruit she had brought, mouth to mouth.
A fruit like a mandarin orange, with both sourness and sweetness coexisting.
After savoring and swallowing that, Yoriko immediately feeds me the next thing.
As I was spending such a decadent morning, I was lost in thought.
For example, what about the future?
Ichihime told him to have a relationship with a woman other than Haruhime... Yoriko, but now he doesn't know what to do.
Or, until Haruhime recovers, a situation like this could happen again—and then what should we do?
But my mind, exhausted both mentally and physically, was no match for the answer.
After I ate all the fruit Yoriko brought, she kissed me and hugged me...
所謂so-called愛玩動物petAfter being treated like that, she took my hand and we left the cave.
"...Ah. How refreshing."
Indeed, it is a place bathed in the cheerful warmth and sunshine of spring.
A refreshing spring breeze blows, tingling my skin.
Because the inside of the cave maintained a constant humidity and temperature, I couldn't shake off the drowsiness for a long time, but it seems that my consciousness is finally starting to clear.
At the same time, various questions begin to surface in my mind.
"Hey, Taishakutsukimo..."
"Yes, what is it, Nagamasa-san?"
Chikubu Island. A floating island in Lake Biwa, the site of the end of an ancient civilization.
Standing beside Yoriko, I firmly planted my feet on the ground and asked her about the most pressing issue.
"How do I get back?"
This is a question that anyone would be curious about, not just me.
If we were to retrace the exact route we took to get here, it would be quite a challenge.
Will I have to return to the underground lake, walk through the underground tunnels, go through that hole in the willow tree to reach Lake Yogo, and then return to Sugawa Castle from there...?
"Leave that to me. It's the recommended approach, and there won't be any problems."
Saying that, she left my side and approached the surface of Lake Biwa.
Then, spreading its arms wide, it takes a deep breath and—screams at an incredibly loud volume.
"Kyuoooooooooooooooooooooon"
A beautiful melody, not of human nature, from something not of human form.
The crystal-clear, immense sound shakes the air and resonates deep within Lake Biwa.
About ten seconds after Yoriko cried out, the surface of the water right beside her rippled violently.
In an instant, a tremendous column of water and spray of water erupted with a loud crash.
"Baoooooooooooooooon"
It was the long neck of a lake dragon.
It is clear that this specimen is far larger than the individuals that inhabited Lake Yogo.
The monster appeared as if in response to Yoriko's voice, its featureless face turned towards me and Yoriko.
"Kyuoooooooon"
She cried out again in a clear voice, as if calling out to the lake dragon.
Then the aquatic monster averted its gaze from us and turned north.
That's the direction of Lake Yogo. The lake dragon opens its mouth wide and roars.
"Baoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon"
A deafening roar that vibrated my entire body.
Even with my ears covered and my eyes closed, my eardrums are vibrating with tremendous force.
Then, after a short pause following the end of the lake dragon's roar, the same sound of the lake dragon echoed from even further away.
The individual in Lake Yogo likely responded to the sound from Lake Biwa with an even louder roar.
The deep, resonant, and trembling cry of the lake dragon echoed through the mountains and reverberated throughout Omi Province.
They are probably relaying Yoriko's message to someone.
Holding my head as it swayed uncontrollably, I instinctively perceived it.
And it seems that their prediction was correct.
The pure air of spring.
In the clear blue sky, where clouds were sparse, a pure white flying object appeared.
Appearing from the east as seen from Chikubu Island, it flew straight towards us, plunging towards us with full force.
"Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
It landed on the ground of Chikubu Island with its six legs, stomping firmly and kicking up dust with a thud.
A fluffy, pure white body. And just as pure white as its body , it has big, round, jet-black eyes and two pairs of black antennae.翅feather
There is no longer any way to mistake it for anything else.
" ...?"Tenko-san
"Kyuuuuuu"
—In response to my murmuring voice, the adorable insect-like monster chirped.
Then, it toddled over to me like a dog, rubbing its pure white body against me.
Its fluffy fur feels wonderful, but it's also incredibly ticklish.
"You're here? That was quite early."
Seeing me buried in a ball of pure white fur, Yoriko gave a wry smile.
At the same time, the lake dragon's head retracted into the depths of Lake Biwa, sending up yet another massive column of water.
Perhaps it's because it has fulfilled its initial purpose.
"Lord Nagamasa, let's have her give us a ride back. Since Tenkosan has the ability to fly, we should be able to return to Sugawa Castle in no time."
"Her...? Is she a female!?"
"Kyupiiii"
The fluffy ball of fur has an overwhelming amount of mass.
She's coming to me seeking my affection with all her might; there's no way a small person like me can support her.
Just as I was pushed down onto the grass, the monster's fierce attack began, with a rubbing, scraping sound.
"n/a..."
"Hey, don't just stand there, help me—"
"Kyupiiii"
"She says she loves it."
Yoriko gave a wry smile.
"That's wonderful, Nagamasa. There haven't been many people in recorded history who can be so well-liked by the Tenko silkworms."
Saying that, Yoriko pushed me down and pulled away Tenkosan, who was giving me full-on physical contact.
Though it takes on a human form, it is still a monster. Its tremendous power, or rather, its horsepower, seems to be as strong as ever.
"In times of life-or-death struggle, those who offer a helping hand without expecting anything in return are the most trustworthy people."
Yoriko said this as she helped me up.
"Ms. Nagamasa treated these silkworms without considering personal gain or loss. For her, it was truly a joyous occasion."
"Kyupiiii"
As I finally managed to get up, this fluffy, pure white ball of fur still pressed its body tightly against mine.
"Let's go, Nagamasa."
Yoriko, who had pushed me up and climbed onto the back of the Heavenly Rainbow Silkworm herself, said:
"There's one last job left to do."
◆
To put it simply, there was absolutely no opportunity to enjoy the aerial journey on the Tianhongcan.
Everything was fine up until we took off, with Yoriko and I on board, and flapped our wings to soar into the sky—
(—This is bad, this is really bad)
The wind pressure was so intense that I could barely cling to the body of the rainbow silkworm.
Naturally, there was absolutely no time to appreciate the scenery.
I suppose it will change once I get used to it...
However, in any case, conducting flights using the Tianhong silkworm on a regular basis seemed quite difficult.
"Well... I thought something was up, but it turns out it's you, my lord."
Tenkosan landed in front of the gate of Sugawa Castle.
As I tumbled off his back, Naotsune Endo tended to me and said with a bewildered expression:
"The soldiers were shouting, 'The rainbow silkworms are approaching Sugawa Castle with tremendous force!'... Well, well."
Naotsune said in a murmur, looking at Yoriko.
"Lord Nagamasa, I never imagined you would bring Lady Yoriko with you... I, Naotsune, never could have foreseen this..."
Naturally, Naotsune knew about Yoriko, the former wife of Asai Nagamasa.
Yoriko quietly stepped forward in front of Naotsune and bowed with a graceful gesture.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Endo. I hope you've been well since then."
"Ah... It's been a long time, Lady Yoriko."
Naotsune asked, his face covered in question marks.
"So, why are you in a place like this...?"
The moment I heard that question, I immediately knew something was wrong.
Taishakutsukimo is incapable of lying. There was a possibility that information might be revealed in a chain reaction.
"I'll talk about that."
"My lord..."
Releasing herself from Naotsune's reliable arm, she firmly planted her feet on the ground and said:
"Have you heard about what happened yesterday? That... that I was locked out of the mansion by Princess Ichihime..."
"Yes, I have already heard about it from your wife herself... I don't know what to say, but it must have been very difficult... I sympathize with you."
It seems that contact had indeed been made.
Well, if a daimyo were to disappear without a word, it would cause a huge uproar, so it's perfectly natural that Princess Ichi would take action to prevent that.
"So..."
I gave Naotsune a wry smile and began to speak.
"I seem to be quite fastidious. Ichi had told me to go and sleep with a prostitute, but—for some reason, I couldn't accept it. But I couldn't go back to Sugawa Castle for one night... So, wondering what to do, I went to Nagahama... and that's when I spotted a light on the lake."
"Wow..."
As Naotsune nodded in agreement with what I was saying, I could see an expression of understanding on his face, as if to say, "So that's how it is."
"So, they had a fisherman from Nagahama take their boat out, and when they came ashore, they found themselves on Chikubu Island. And the source of the light turned out to be none other than Yoriko herself."
Saying that, Yoriko quietly bowed her head.
"Apparently, after our divorce, she ran away from her family home, the Hirai family, and secluded herself on Chikubu Island, worrying about us Asai. And after enjoying a long-awaited reunion... that's how she ended up bringing me here."
Nonsense and lies just kept pouring out of his mouth.
However, after Yoriko was divorced from Asai Nagamasa, she returned to Odani Castle, having reverted to her original form as a horse...
Presumably, it should have been consistent.
"Is that so..."
Naotsune said this and bowed.
"My lord, your wife is waiting for you. She has been greatly disturbed since hearing that someone from the Takamine clan lost sight of you, Nagamasa, so it would be best if you could see her as soon as possible."
This is bad. I knew it instinctively.
On that day, I was definitely under surveillance by the Takamine Party.
Naotsune must have received contact from the Takamine Party...
Just as I realized my mistake, Naotsune asked, his eyes gleaming.
"So, my lord, where is Taishakutsukimo?"
"..."
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
But when Naotsune saw that, his expression softened slightly, and without pursuing the matter further, he gestured for me to come in and went through the castle gate.
—They might have noticed a lot of things.
Today, Naotsune said he needed to inspect and count the swords stored in the main keep, so he parted ways with me and headed towards the main keep.
Feeling an indescribable awkwardness, I took Yoriko's hand and we headed towards the mansion where Ichihime and Haruhime were.
The mansion's doors were tightly closed, and there was no sign of anyone inside.
Instead, a rainbow silkworm, which had somehow gotten there before us, was basking in the sun with its wings fully extended.
"Nagamasa-san, perhaps he has noticed."
Yoriko smiled mischievously as I led her by the hand.
"I'm sorry...that was clearly my mistake."
"I don't mind at all. I don't see it as a particular problem. The real problem is what's to come, isn't it?"
Yoriko said, stroking the head of the Tenko silkworm.
"How do you intend to explain my existence to Nagamasa's women?"
That question is weighty.
I was confronted with a problem I had tried to avoid thinking about as much as possible, and I stood before the gates of the mansion, agonizing over it.